The Legal Environment encompasses both an examination of the laws and regulations that could influence
media content as well as the government's inclination to use these laws and legal institutions in order to restrict the media’s
ability to operate. Issues assessed include the positive impact of legal and constitutional guarantees for freedom of expression;
the potentially negative aspects of security legislation, the penal code and other criminal statutes; penalties for libel
and defamation; the existence of and ability to use Freedom of Information legislation; the independence of the judiciary
and of official media regulatory bodies; registration requirements for both media outlets and journalists; and the ability
of journalists’ groups to operate freely.

Under the category
of Political Environment, the survey evaluates the degree of political control over the content of news media. Issues
examined in this category include the editorial independence of both the state-owned and privately-owned media; access to
information and sources; official censorship and self-censorship; the vibrancy of the media; the ability of both foreign and
local reporters to cover the news freely and without harassment; and the intimidation of journalists by the state or
other actors, including arbitrary detention and imprisonment, violent assaults, and other threats.

Economic Environment:
This includes the structure of media ownership; transparency and concentration of ownership; the costs of establishing media
as well as of production and distribution; the selective withholding of advertising or subsidies by the state or other actors;
the impact of corruption and bribery on content; and the extent to which the economic situation in a country impacts the development
of the media.

Total Score and Status:
A country's total score is based on the total of the three categories: a score of 0-30 places the country in the "Free" press
group, 31-60 in "Partly Free," and 61-100 in the "Not Free" press
group.

Status Changes

Benin's score worsened from 30 to 31, which
tipped it over the cusp from Free to Partly Free status, owing to the continuation of criminal libel cases and polarization
in a growing number of politically funded media outlets.

Central African Republic slipped back into
Not Free status as the authorities attempted to limit coverage of the continuing armed conflict in the north of the country.

Niger, which has for some time been rated in
the Partly Free category, witnessed a score decline from 58 to 63 points and a downgrade to Not Free status owing to the government’s
attempts to control information on the civil conflict in the north, including suspending the operation of critical media outlets,
prosecuting journalists for libel, and harassing those who produced controversial reports.